


The Death of a Fangirl (and The Birth of a Friend)

by Shanieomaniac



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Based on a Dream, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Not Kayfabe Compliant, Original Female Character & Shane McMahon, TW: suicidal thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:22:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21529006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanieomaniac/pseuds/Shanieomaniac
Summary: Lauren Humphries has idolized Shane McMahon for as long as she can remember. One day, she has the chance to meet him. That's when things began to go wrong.Part of the "Adventures in Dreamland" line of stories.
Kudos: 1





	The Death of a Fangirl (and The Birth of a Friend)

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. I now have a pretty good idea that nobody wants to read my stories. Sorry if the content is crappy, these are all based directly off my wild and crazy dreams. Yes, I remember my dreams, and yes, they have continuity. That being said, they all seem to have something to do with Shane McMahon. Oh well. What can you do?
> 
> Update: This is trash. Forgive me. For some dumb reason, Shane O Mac is never in character in my dreams. Technically, there's 5 other parts to this story, but I will be publishing NONE of them. This is absolute rubbish, and I am leaving it on here only as evidence for how far my writing has evolved in a year (and how far it devolved since a decade ago).

In May of 2020, there was a WWE House Show in the city of Toledo, Ohio.

Shane McMahon was there. So was Lauren “Ren” Humphries, better known as “Shanea” to her friends online.

The day Lauren Humphries went to the house show in Toledo, Ohio, was a day that so many wrongs of the past were righted, or so she thought. On that day, after 22 years, she was finally given the opportunity to see her hero perform live. It was breathtaking for her, and after the match, she felt fulfilled. She had her happy ending.

Of course, stories don’t always end when they should. And sometimes we shouldn’t meet our heroes.

The house show was on a Wednesday evening. It was the next day, in a television station in the same city, that Shane was supposed to give an interview for the local news. This had been planned for months. At the same time, a local radio station connected to the TV affiliate had been holding a contest to meet him. This was also set up months in advance.

Now, Ren had a huge amount of social anxiety and was terrified to meet Shane. But she wasn’t about to let that stop her, and she sent in her essay. It was two weeks before the event when she got the call.

She had won and would be meeting Shane.

A strange mix of elation and terror filled her. She figured that she wouldn’t be put on TV, so that made it better. But still, what would he think of her? Would he care? There were so many things to go wrong.

Overthinking crept into Ren’s mind. She had several panic attacks just thinking about the notion of meeting someone who had impacted her life so much. But, two weeks later, she decided to suck it up and not only go to the house show but to the station as well.

At the station, Shane was waiting to do the interview. It was one hour before showtime.

Lauren was brought before him in a small room backstage.

When she saw him, her heart leapt into her chest. He was even more handsome up close than on TV or in an arena.

Shane held out a hand, and Ren shook it, still in shock.

Shane smiled.

“Hello there,” he said kindly, “you must be Lauren.”

Trying her best to regain her composure, all she could do was nod silently.

“I didn’t read your essay,” Shane continued. “Actually, I was hoping to hear your story from you.”

Lauren’s anxiety was running full steam by that point. But, with a gulp bigger than one of Vince McMahon’s. She began to speak.

“Well, sir...” she started.

Shane smiled again. “Please, call me Shane.”

Ren nodded and continued. “Well, Shane... I had a very rough childhood. My father was often cruel and abusive. I was constantly bullied both in school and at home. Beatings were frequent. It was bad. By 9th grade, I was contemplating suicide. Even tried it a few times.”

Telling her story was difficult for Lauren, but for some reason, in that place with Shane, she felt safe. It may have seemed irrational to others, but despite all her problems and issues, she trusted him.

Lauren continued her story.

“When I first saw you debut on Sunday Night Heat in 1998, everything changed. Something about you… it changed me. You gave me a reason. Not just to live, but to fight, to function… to exist. Through you, and through your life, onscreen and off, I found meaning and support in my struggles. I learned to fight back and defend myself against those who hurt me. I stopped self-harming and started living instead. I literally owe you my life. For that… for that, I can never thank you enough.”

By this point, Lauren was in tears. She was weeping openly and sniffling as she did.

Shane, moved by her story, got out of his chair where he was seated, walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her. Unfortunately, this act of affection only made Lauren cry harder.

“Hey, hey...” he said softly, gently rocking her back and forth. “It’s ok. I get it. You owe me a lot. There’s no reason to be sad now though. You made it through. You are stronger now for it. You’re gonna be ok...”

As he stood there holding her, she eventually began to calm down. The sniffling slowed down, and eventually the tears stopped flowing. Shane, for his part, did not release his embrace until she had fully stopped crying.

Once she did, he pulled back slightly but didn’t fully let go. He gently lifted her chin, so Ren’s eyes met his own.

“Lauren. I may have given the inspiration, but the strength came from within. I am so proud of you.”

And with that, Shane placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before letting her go.

The poor fangirl’s eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. She stood there for several moments, completely in shock.

Shane noticed this and gave a chuckle.

“You ok?” he asked.

With her jaw still on the floor, Ren slowly nodded.

Now, unbeknownst to Lauren, there had been some fine print on that contest contract. Namely, fine print regarding being put on TV. Naturally, she hadn’t read it and had just signed it. So, thirty seconds after the kiss, when she was still in shock and a TV producer entered the room and told them both it was time to prepare for the broadcast, she didn’t know what to do.

So, she panicked again.

She was not prepared for a TV broadcast. In a fit of nervousness before leaving her apartment, she hadn’t put on any makeup. She hadn’t worn the best clothing to suit her. She didn’t put her contacts in. She had even forgotten to brush her long messy hair.

She looked awful.

When she thought her appearance was for Shane’s eyes only, she was fine with it. After all, she didn’t expect him to judge. However, a television audience was a different story.

But it was too late to go back now.

Shane was ushered into a green room. Ren was ushered into a separate green room.

Realizing how she looked, she asked the producer a question.

“Do you have any makeup for me? Maybe even a hairbrush?”

The producer shook his head. “Not for you, sweetie. You just try to dry your eyes and calm down. You’re gonna be on TV!”

The producer left and closed the door behind him.

For the next 40 minutes, Lauren overthought EVERYTHING. Her brain ran through every perceived possible scenario of bad that could result from her being on TV. She had visions of being laughed at by the hosts. She had visions of being insulted. She had visions of people online rejecting her and trolls destroying her online. She was still overthinking when she was summoned for the broadcast. She had taken the time to dry her eyes, and run her fingers through her hair, but she still looked like garbage.

When she was brought into the studio, she was introduced as the woman who won the contest.

“Now,” the well-dressed host stated, “this is Lauren. She won our “Meet The Money” contest a few weeks ago by sending in the winning essay. Lauren, tell us a bit about how Shane changed your life.”

Lauren was freaking out hard. With a stammer in her voice she tried to respond.

“I... I was very depressed and suicidal over my home and school life... with my family and stuff. After the October 26th promo, I... found the strength to confront them, and I was given hope again.”

The hosts seemed impressed by this and it gave Ren a small amount of confidence. She continued speaking, more assuredly this time.

“I realized I had an ally in Shane and thought ‘here’s someone who can identify with my pain’. It was so empowering. I owe him my life.”

To Lauren, she had simply told her story. But, to the host, she had revealed a closely guarded secret.

“Wait,” the host asked, “Did you think it was real? Did you not know it was scripted?”

The young woman’s eyes went wide, and her confidence was shattered. She hadn’t meant to say that. But now she was in deep, and an answer was expected.

“N-no. At the time, no,” she said. She gave a forced smile and added, “what can I say? I was a hopeless mark.”

The host took the microphone back and concluded the segment. Lauren was ushered away and was sent home without a chance to say goodbye to Shane. It was a bit sad, but the day had been so wild to that point that Ren wasn’t sure if she could even handle another face-to-face meeting.

She felt almost comfortable with the events of the day. Not quite, but she tried her hardest to believe it would be ok. It had been a trip, but she was better for it.

Or so she thought.

* * *

It took two days for the world to explode.

Lauren, who was on tumblr as “Shanea-mac-attack”, was immediately bombarded with hate mail. She had told her followers about the contest, but the news quickly spread to the entire WWE tumblr crowd, as well as other social media platforms. At that point in time, Shane McMahon was one of the most despised people in the entire company, and to even admit you liked him was cause for bitter hatred and cruelty. Trolls and anon hate spammed her inbox. The WWE tags were filled with posts about “That stupid fucking mark!” and “What is wrong with this bitch?”.

But perhaps the worst ones of all, the most painful comments out of the bunch, were about her appearance. She had always been heavyset and had realized that being forced into the public eye would highlight that, but she was not fully prepared for the vitriol.

“Look at this fat fuck,” one person posted.

“She’s about two cheeseburgers from HOLY SHIT!” another wrote.

“Bitch looks like something you’d see at a state fair hog pen,” said a third.

Yet another commented, “I bet this cunt hasn’t been laid her entire life. She is hardcore unfuckable. DISGUSTING!”

Lauren couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mind roiled with anger, self-loathing and despair.

Suicidal thoughts she had conquered decades ago quickly crept back in and she found herself drowning in her own misery.

Ren tried to fight back. She knew you shouldn’t feed trolls but she felt the need to defend herself. She reported the accounts she could and started calling out her abusers.

And then, it got worse.

She was doxxed.

The TV station had been careful not to give her last name, but it didn’t help.

Her full name, address, and phone number were quickly put online. That’s when the online hate became real. She couldn’t escape it. Everywhere she turned she was being laughed at and spat upon. She considered giving up WWE, and frankly EVERYTHING, and moving home to PA.

It was one month into this clusterfuck when she ventured back onto the internet.

Shane McMahon was set to be on UpUpDownDown, facing off against former champ Seth Rollins in a challenge match.

Lauren loved Xavier Woods’ UpUpDownDown channel. She was something of a gamer, although nothing too intense. She loved to see playthroughs and superstar challenges. With her favorite appearing this time, Lauren felt she couldn’t miss this for the world. So, she watched the show. Of course, the topic of her interview came up.

Shane, who was focused on his gameplay, wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying. At least, anyone with half a conscious brain could tell that.

However, Ren at that point, could not.

“So, McMahon,” said Xavier (or rather “Austin Creed” as he was known there), "that girl on TV; that fan of yours? What was up with her, man?”

“No idea,” Shane replied.

“Like, how can anyone not know the basics of what we do?”

“You would think…” Shane agreed, trailing off. Again, it was (mostly) clear, he wasn’t listening.

Seth, who was multitasking, added his two cents. “Yeah, it was hella' weird.”

“Right? Right?” Xavier confirmed.

Shane, for his part, didn’t answer. His mind was focused on the game.

Lauren turned off the program before it went any further. Running to her bedroom, she flopped into bed and just sobbed. Her inner fangirl had been slaughtered, the ashes pissed upon by Shane himself. In all reality, it was a disproportionate response to his remarks. He really hadn’t said anything that hurtful, but in the wake of recent events, Lauren took it as confirmation that she was--in fact--trash.

Venturing online long enough to make one final post to each of the social media sites, she told the WWE Universe and her many followers goodbye and left some very unkind words regarding the man who, up until that day, had been her hero and savior.

The next week, she started the process of moving home to Squirrel Hill. It was a horrible non-solution considering her history of abuse, but it was the only one she had.

It wasn’t ideal or even moderately OK, but it would have to do.

* * *

When Lauren arrived at her parent’s house, she found an unpleasant surprise waiting for her... Her credit history (which she had been so careful to hide from her parents) had been exposed! They were livid! While her family was quite wealthy, they had insisted on Lauren supporting herself in Toledo and her secret shopping sprees left her parents enraged. They had waited until she was firmly moved in and couldn’t just leave before confronting her. There was shouting, then screaming, then crying, Finally, there was the slamming of doors and the sounds of tires squealing and Ren drove off to “anywhere but there”. She knew she couldn’t escape forever, but she could at least try to get away for a while.

“Anywhere but there” turned out to be her stoner friend Evan’s apartment. She had been friends with him in high school, and they kept in touch after she went to college. Evan had no concept of hygiene or cleaning, and while Ren had frequently met him for coffee when she came home to visit, she had always avoided his personal living space. However, at that moment, she was desperate. Luckily, Evan welcomed her with open (if smelly!) arms and even found an old air mattress for her to sleep on.

It was in that hellhole that Lauren’s mind turned dark. Evan was a practicing witch, and as he followed her on Facebook, was aware of her situation. He offered several times to “put a curse on the asshole” (meaning Shane) but Lauren refused, settling instead on just wishing really hard for misfortune and possibly even pain to fall upon her former hero.

She spent about a week at Evan’s place, unable to shower or even change clothes due to the state of his apartment. Eventually, she was forced to return home. She smelled both of Evan’s cat and BO and was feeling ill from the poor air quality and even worse food.

When she got home, the harassment picked right up where it left off.

Her mother, demanding to know her full totals of everything owed, sat Ren down at the computer and had her bring up the websites.

There, on her credit report, Lauren found something unexpected. There was a precise balance of ZERO. Zero credit card debt, zero school loan debt, zero everything. It was as if someone had gone in a paid the whole thing off.

Ren and her mom were shocked. They had no idea how or why, but someone had randomly forked out $74,000 or so and paid off EVERYTHING. Well, Ren’s mom didn’t know who. But Lauren had a hunch. After all, who else could it be? But the question was, WHY.

Both Mr. And Mrs. Humphries passed it off as a mysterious benefactor, and soon the event was forgotten.

Time passed. Things, despite all odds, got better.

Lauren’s parents' behavior slowly grew kinder at the sight of their daughter’s misery and pain. They began to reach out and care, rather than lash out. Perhaps they realized how fragile she was in that moment. Perhaps, for once, they were thinking of someone besides themselves.

Whatever the reason, Lauren welcomed the change and began to heal.

It was almost two months after Lauren moved home, on a Monday afternoon, when the mail came to the house. By this point, Lauren had heard it through a friend that Shane McMahon had been off TV for a while. (Ren had stopped watching the product after things initially went south.) In the mail was a letter addressed to Lauren Humphries, with her old Toledo address, forwarded to her parent’s house.

Not knowing if it was more hate mail or not, she examined the letter and its return address.

The return address was labeled “WWE HQ, Stamford CT.”

Lauren was shocked. Who the fuck from the WWE could be mailing HER???

Carefully opening the letter, she unfolded the contents. Immediately, two tickets fell into her lap, along with two additional items. She pushed them aside and read the letter.

Dear Lauren Humphries,

I hope this letter reaches you in good health and spirits, despite the circumstances. The events of the past few months have not escaped the notice of anyone in my family, and we are deeply sorry for any turmoil and trauma they may have caused. Nobody deserves to suffer this kind of treatment, let alone from the WWE Universe that they have been a part of for over 20 years. I, along with my brother-in-law, wish to try and make things right on our end. On behalf of myself, Shane, and the entire WWE Family, please use these tickets and backstage passes to attend the July 3rd Smackdown Live event in Cleveland, OH. If there are any other accommodations you need, they will be reimbursed by us as well. Again, we are all very sorry for everything that has transpired recently. Please allow us the chance to correct things the best that we can. Again, I hope this letter has reached you before any possible tragic outcome could occur.

Sincerely,

Paul “Triple H” Levesque

WWE CFO

  
Lauren was shocked. “Papa H” (as Hunter was often called) was actually reaching out to her to try and fix the situation. The entire McMahon family was concerned for her.

Including Shane.

Ren thought back to his (perceived) hurtful comments on UpUpDownDown.

For a moment, she considered blowing the invitation off. But then, if it was true that he had paid off her debt, didn’t she owe it to him to have a chance for forgiveness?

Rushing outside to where her parents were sitting on the patio watching the staff mow the grass, she showed them the letter and passes. The show was only two weeks—not to mention quite a distance away, but against all odds, Ren’s mom Merideth agreed to take her. Also, a surprise, her father called to make the hotel reservations for the night of the show. A bit last-minute, but all seemed to be falling into place. Ren's mom even agreed to go with her as a final shock to her system.

Despite having her own backstage pass, Meredith refused to enter what she considered “sacred territory,” explaining she would feel out of place. This was Lauren’s battle to fight on her own.

Backstage, Lauren was taken to an office. There she was told to wait, which she did—granted with no small amount of trepidation.

It took about 20 minutes before Triple H came in.

As with Shane, he extended a handshake before having a seat in an opposite chair.

“So,” he began, “Miss Humphries. It’s been a rough couple of months for you, I hear.”

With her eyes firmly aimed at the floor, Lauren said “Really, you can call me Ren. Lauren at worse. Miss Humphries sounds like I’m in trouble again.”

“Sure,” Hunter replied. “Anyway, as I was saying. You’ve been through a lot lately, or so I’ve heard. Actually, we’ve all heard. That’s some serious bullshit that got thrown at you.”

Still staring at the floor, Lauren nodded, saying nothing.

“Hey, Lauren... Ren, can you look here for a sec?”

Slouched from depression, but tipping her eyes upward, almost puppylike, Lauren gazed at the CFO.

“That’s better,” he said. “I know you went through some shit with all this. The internet is a cruel place, filled with even crueler people. The bottom line is, nobody deserves that kind of abuse. I take it you noticed your accounts?”

Nodding again slowly, Lauren actually responded “Yes. I did.”

“Well,” Hunter explained, “That was all on Shane. When you were hacked and your accounts published, he figured it was the least he could do. It took some serious work, and a ton of red tape cutting, but I got it done. Again, we did what we could.”

“I appreciate it,” Ren told him. She really meant it too.

“Now,” Triple H added, as he rose from his chair and motioned for Lauren to follow him, “I believe my brother-in-law would like to talk to you.”

Hesitating, Lauren was unsure whether she was ready for this again.

Papa H, sensed this and stepped close, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s ok. He doesn’t bite. He really just wants to chat.”

Ren decided to give him a chance. Again, she owed him at that point more than ever.

Following Hunter, she was taken to a backstage area where Shane was getting prepped for the show. He had a makeup apron on and a wrap on his head. He looked positively girly. He also had earbuds in and didn’t react until the pair approached him. Taking them out, Shane first addressed his brother.

“Hey Hunter,” he said, remaining perfectly still so that the makeup people could do their work.

“Hey, Shaneo. I brought Lauren, like you said.”

“Oh, where?”

Realizing she had literally been hiding behind Hunter, Lauren stepped out and showed herself. Unlike last time, she had nice clothes, done makeup, and combed hair.

Shane’s eyes peered towards her, but he said nothing.

“I’ll leave you two to it then,” Hunter told them both, and with one last smile, walked away.

For a moment, they were both quiet. Then, Lauren broke the silence.

“So,” she said, “makeup, huh?”

“Of course,” Shane replied, “those lights are harsh.”

Ren nods. “I wear it too, by the way.”

The tech finished her work and took the apron off Shane. Shane then turned to Lauren to address her directly.

“I never said you didn’t”

“No, I guess not,” the young woman admitted, “that was everyone else.”

Shane nodded. “To be honest, we value the WWE Universe now more than ever. They make us who we are. They’re why we do this. But... they can also be massive dicks as well. You just learn to live with it.”

“Yeah,” she replied.

“You look good,” he told her.

“Thanks.”

Lauren was fighting valiantly the urge to break down yet again, and Shane O Mac absolutely noticed.

“You gonna be ok there?” he asked.

“I suppose. Hey, thanks for the... debt thingy.”

“No problem.”

“’Prolly would have been disowned.”

“After what you told me before, I was concerned this whole mess would have repercussions. That’s why I did it, and that’s why I brought you here.”

Just then, the woman who had been attending to Shane made a nod towards him, and he nodded back. Without a word, she removed the wrap around his hair. Underneath, his hair was once again black, as it had been when he was younger.

Lauren gasped.

“Oh my god your HAIR!” she cried out.

Shane instantly put a finger to his lips.

“Shhhhh, it’s a surprise. Tonight's my return, and I figured I’d give it a try. If it’s good enough for Bischoff to do, it’s good enough for me. Do you like it?”

Unsure of how to respond, and still taking the visual in, Ren simply said, “It’s... different.”

“Different???” Shane asked incredulously.

“Well, I liked the gray.”

Shane scrunched his nose, “So it doesn’t look good?”

“No, it’s looks great. I like it black too. I had just gotten used to the grey is all.”

Shane seemed frustrated. “Make up your mind! Is it ok or not???”

Ren threw up her hands in her own frustration. She was not prepared for this line of questioning.

“I like them BOTH, Shane! Grey or Black. I like them BOTH... you are a very handsome man either way!”

Just like that, Shane’s tone shifted. His frustration vanished and he smiled.

“Thanks,” he said calmly.

Lauren was confused by the mood whiplash Shane seemed to be displaying. Meanwhile, a bemused look crossed the older man’s face.

“Do you see how easy it is to be misunderstood?” he asked Lauren, with a knowing tone in his voice.

Lauren’s train of thought, which had been focused on Shane’s black hair, stopped dead in its tracks. Actually, “derailed” would be a better term.

Taking in his words, she realized how right he truly was.

She slowly nodded and said “You make a very valid point. Now I feel bad for all those horrible things I was wishing on you for the past two months.”

“You were wishing bad things on me? I thought you were my ‘biggest fan’?”

Ren shrugged. “You hurt my feelings. That, with everything else that was going on? I guess I blamed you somehow.”

“It’s understandable. We good?”

He held out his hand for another handshake. Lauren took it without hesitation this time and with a firm grip, they came to an agreement.

“We’re good,” she stated firmly.

A crewmember suddenly came into the area.

“McMahon, you’re up in twenty!” he said, waving his clipboard at the pair.

“Right!” Shane responded. He turned to Lauren. “Hey, I got to go. Did you get a hotel room or anything for tonight?”

“We did. I actually live in Pennsylvania now. Outside Pittsburgh to be exact.”

“Oh wow, and you came all this way? Sorry ‘bout that.”

“S’ok”

“Anyway, wait here till I’m done. You can watch it on that monitor over there if you like. Don’t worry, you won’t be on TV this time. I’ll be back later, and I’ll get Hunter to cut a check.”

“Cool.”

Shane turned and began to walk away. About fifteen yards away, he turned back towards Ren.

“Oh, and Shanea?”

Ren‘s eyes went wide. That was something she was NOT expecting.

“What did you just call me?!?” she gasped frantically.

“Shanea. It’s what they call you online, right? Honestly, that whole mess was hard to avoid even for me. The number of @s alone...” Shane trailed off.

Lauren smiled. “Yeah, they call me Shanea. I didn’t choose that name though. My friends named me after you because of, well, everything.”

“Well, Shanea,” he continued, “it was very nice seeing you again. I’d like to keep in touch. If you ever need a real ally this time, I’m here to help. I mean that. I’m here for you, Lauren.”

Lauren was taken aback by this.

“Oh. Wow. OK,” she remarked. She was stunned. She wasn’t expecting him to offer friendship. However, if it was on the table, she decided she was up for it.

“Ok,” she continued, “I’ll keep it in mind.”

She thought for a moment before adding, “Oh, and by the way, tell your wife Happy Birthday for me.”

Shane’s brow creased and head cocked as if he was confused about how she would know that.

“But…” he said.

Ren’s face broke out into a huge grin. “Biggest fan, remember? I know my ish. Besides, July 4th is a pretty hard to forget birthday.”

Shane gave a nod of realization and smiled one final time.

“Right. I will,” he told her.

And with that, he took off.

As he did, Ren felt a sense of calm wash over her. Somehow, after all the horseshit of the past few months, she had a happy ending. She had made friends with her idol after all this time, and he wanted to legitimately help her; Not just as a character or a figure on a website, but as an actual friend.

In that moment, she had hope. She had help.

She had her reason.


End file.
